Name: 遊戲如何幫助孩子的大腦發育 | Jesse Ilhardt | TED (How Play Helps a Kid’s Brain Grow | Jesse Ilhardt | TED)
Uploaded: 2025-08-21T10:19:51.000Z
Duration: 12 min

15 years ago, I walked into a classroom as a first-year preschool teacher.

15 年前，我作為一名學前班一年級教師走進教室。

Ambitious and eager to impress, I created this Excel document to track the things I thought mattered most for my students.

我雄心勃勃，渴望給人留下深刻印象，於是我創建了這個 Excel 文檔來跟蹤我認為對學生最重要的事情。

Looking back though, with what I know now, I wish I wouldn't have bothered with Excel or rote memorization.

不過，現在回想起來，以我現在的知識水準，我真希望當初不用 Excel 或死記硬背。

I wish instead I had leveraged the power of brain-building interactive play.

我真希望當時能利用互動遊戲的力量來培養孩子的大腦。

For years, we've known that play-based learning is far superior to rote memorization.

多年來，我們都知道遊戲式學習遠遠優於死記硬背。

Harvard Center on the Developing Child tells us, as well as countless other institutions, that play and especially the back and forth interactions, the serve and return, the alternating comments, questions, gestures between children and adults when they play together, that's what helps build neural connections in the child's brain.

哈佛兒童發展中心和其他無數機構都告訴我們，遊戲，尤其是前後互動、發球和回球，以及兒童和成人在一起遊戲時交替發表評論、提出問題和做出手勢，有助於在兒童大腦中建立神經連接。

In particular, they build the brain's prefrontal cortex.

尤其是，它們能構建大腦的前額葉皮層。

That's the executive control center of the brain.

The part that manages emotions, solves problems, makes plans, all things that children have to do when they play.

管理情緒、解決問題、制定計劃，這些都是孩子們在玩耍時必須做的事情。

So when we think of it that way, play is actually hard work.

是以，當我們這樣想的時候，遊戲其實就是一項艱苦的工作。

If learning is like a workout for the brain, then play-based learning is the heavy lifting.

如果說學習就像大腦的鍛鍊，那麼遊戲式學習就是重體力勞動。

Just as heavy lifting builds muscle, play-based learning builds the brain's architecture.

就像舉重能鍛鍊肌肉一樣，遊戲式學習也能構建大腦結構。

那麼，作為成年人的我們又該何去何從呢？

It's those interactions when a child says something and a parent or teacher says something back.

當孩子說了一些話，家長或老師也回了一些話，這就是互動。

Those interactions help the child to persist, to stick with their plan, to keep rebuilding the block tower each time it falls.

這些互動有助於孩子堅持下去，堅持自己的計劃，在積木塔每次倒塌時繼續重建它。

So it's the play paired with the adult interactions.

這就是遊戲與成人互動的結合。

The research community's support of play is so resounding, I would expect to see children in nearly every household, every preschool and kindergarten classroom, playing for most of their waking hours.

研究界對遊戲的支持如此響亮，我希望看到幾乎每個家庭、每個學前班和幼兒園的教室裡，孩子們醒著的大部分時間都在玩耍。

We don't see widespread uptake of play among parents or teachers, and sometimes we even see resistance.

我們沒有看到遊戲在家長或教師中得到廣泛的接受，有時甚至會看到牴觸情緒。

What's driving us as parents and teachers to ignore the overwhelming research when it comes to play?

是什麼驅使我們家長和老師在遊戲方面無視大量研究？

After years of teaching preschool, coaching teachers, coaching parents, and analyzing my own parenting, I've realized our best intentions are getting in the way.

經過多年的學前教育、指導教師、指導家長以及分析我自己的養育方式，我意識到我們最好的願望都被阻礙了。

We live in a comparison culture, and we worry that our child won't be good enough, won't be good enough for the soccer team, won't be ready for kindergarten, won't be as smart as their classmates.

我們生活在攀比文化中，擔心自己的孩子不夠好，不能參加足球隊，不能準備好上幼兒園，沒有同學聰明。

And we worry that if our child doesn't measure up, it will be our fault.

我們擔心，如果孩子達不到要求，那就是我們的錯。

Our hyper-focus on our children and our students' success is backfiring, and it's exacerbated by two forces I see impacting the large majority of parents and teachers.

我們對孩子和學生成功的過度關注正適得其反，而我所看到的影響絕大多數家長和教師的兩股力量又加劇了這種狀況。

First, the need for immediate gratification and quick results.

And second, our own discomfort with play, either because we don't have the time or energy, or because we just don't know how to play anymore.

其次是我們自己對遊戲的不適應，要麼是因為我們沒有時間或精力，要麼是因為我們不知道該怎麼玩了。

On the topic of immediate gratification, I think back to that Excel document I created as a first-year teacher.

說到 "即時滿足 "這個話題，我又想起了我作為第一年教師時創建的 Excel 文檔。

That document was the manifestation of my anxiety.

Because often, when we feel anxious or out of control, we revert back to what we can control.

因為很多時候，當我們感到焦慮或失控時，就會回到我們能控制的事情上。

For parents and teachers, we often revert to fact-based teaching because we see pretty immediate results that affirm our efforts.

對於家長和老師來說，我們經常會回到以事實為基礎的教學，因為我們看到了相當直接的結果，肯定了我們的努力。

Whereas we can't see the connections in the child's brain that fire when they finally get that wobbly block tower to stay standing.

而我們卻無法看到，當孩子們終於讓搖搖晃晃的積木塔站穩時，他們大腦中的連接會發生怎樣的變化。

The immediate result of something like our child learning a new letter, it gives us this dopamine rush that then sets off a flywheel effect because as we see and feel the results of our work more and more, we subconsciously begin to prioritize that type of teaching.

孩子學會一個新字母等事情的直接結果，會讓我們產生多巴胺衝動，進而引發飛輪效應，因為當我們越來越多地看到和感受到我們工作的成果時，我們就會下意識地開始優先考慮這種教學方式。

Recently, my staff was coaching a group of school principals on the importance of play.

最近，我的員工正在為一群校長講解遊戲的重要性。

And one of the principals said that his teachers just weren't on board.

其中一位校長說，他的老師們就是不同意。

They said their students are too far behind to play.

他們說，他們的學生太落後了，無法參加比賽。

And those well-intentioned teachers, they were equating academic learning that their students needed with methods that would show quick, concrete results.

而那些用心良苦的老師們，卻把學生們需要的學術學習等同於能快速顯示具體效果的方法。

They felt really proud and accomplished when they could talk to the student's parents and say how many letters and numbers they learned that month.

當他們能與學生家長交談，說出他們在這個月學到了多少字母和數字時，他們感到非常自豪和有成就感。

Because we as parents and teachers, we share this universal desire for our kids to do well.

因為作為家長和教師，我們都希望自己的孩子能取得好成績。

And we will pour our energy and resources into making that happen.

我們將傾注精力和資源來實現這一目標。

And that's showing up in our spending habits.

這一點也體現在我們的消費習慣上。

Marketers are preying on it as they advertise the latest and greatest toys, flashcards, iPad apps for brain development, even kits that claim to teach your baby to read.

營銷人員利用這一點大做文章，宣傳最新、最棒的玩具、認字卡、促進大腦發育的 iPad 應用程序，甚至還有聲稱能教寶寶識字的套裝。

And because we worry that our kids won't measure up, we fall prey to that.

因為我們擔心我們的孩子達不到要求，所以我們就成了他們的犧牲品。

The global market for educational toys surpassed $68 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach 132 billion by 2028.

2021 年，全球益智玩具市場規模超過 680 億美元，預計到 2028 年將達到 1320 億美元。

But those smart toys, they're a far cry from the interactive, playful learning that I was talking about earlier.

但是，這些智能玩具與我之前所說的互動、遊戲式學習相去甚遠。

That type of learning, the real gold standard of early education, it's not immediate.

這種學習是早期教育的真正黃金標準，它不是立竿見影的。

It takes time and it doesn't lend itself to a checklist or an Excel document.

這需要時間，也不適合用核對表或 Excel 文檔來完成。

The second force I see negatively impacting play-based learning is that we, as grownups, parents and teachers, just don't always like hearing that play-based learning might require some of us.

我認為對遊戲式學習產生負面影響的第二股力量是，作為成年人、家長和教師，我們並不總是喜歡聽到遊戲式學習可能需要我們付出一些代價。

Because that means it will take time, energy and skills that we don't think we have.

因為這意味著需要花費我們認為自己不具備的時間、精力和技能。

But not only is it worth our time, it can be done in really small doses.

但是，這不僅值得我們花時間，而且可以小劑量地進行。

So take this simple example of bath time.

就拿洗澡時間這個簡單的例子來說吧。

If I'm a busy mom who has a few extra dollars to spend, I might pop my kiddo into the tub, remember that buying bath toys has been on my never-ending mental to-do list for weeks, so I whip out my phone and I use that five minutes to go over to Amazon and buy the top-rated bath toys.

如果我是一個忙碌的媽媽，有幾塊錢可花，我可能會把孩子放進浴缸裡，想起買沐浴玩具已經是我幾周來永無止境的待辦事項了，於是我拿出手機，用這五分鐘的時間去亞馬遜買那些好評如潮的沐浴玩具。

And I'm not here to say that those bath toys are harmful for your child.

我並不是說這些沐浴玩具對孩子有害。

But you're busy, so what you do with that five to 10 minutes, it matters.

但你很忙，所以如何利用這 5 到 10 分鐘很重要。

And you know what would be way better than scrolling Amazon and even better than those bath toys?

你知道有什麼比瀏覽亞馬遜網站更好，甚至比那些沐浴玩具更好嗎？

Three things that I can almost guarantee you have in your home.

有三樣東西，我幾乎可以保證你們家裡都有。

Because a couple of household materials, thank you, dropped into the bathtub, and this mundane routine becomes fun and surprisingly energizing bonding time for you and your child.

在浴缸裡放上一些家用材料（謝謝），就能讓這平凡的日常變得有趣，讓您和孩子的親子時光充滿驚喜和活力。

And bonus, instead of the manufacturer-designed toy telling your child how to play, your child's brain has to do the heavy lifting.

此外，還有一個額外的好處，那就是不用製造商設計的玩具來告訴孩子怎麼玩，而是由孩子的大腦來完成這些繁重的工作。

Now, over the past 10 years coaching parents, I have heard over and over again that parents don't feel good enough at their job, at parenting.

在過去的 10 年裡，我在指導家長的過程中，一次又一次地聽到家長們說，他們覺得自己的工作、為人父母的工作做得不夠好。

And there's so much pressure on us, and sometimes it feels like we're supposed to innately know how to get down on the floor and build our baby's brains.

我們承受了太多的壓力，有時感覺我們天生就應該知道如何趴在地上為寶寶建構大腦。

And over the past few years, the social media world has exploded with even more advice for parents and teachers.

而在過去的幾年裡，社交媒體上出現了更多給家長和老師的建議。

How to affirm children's feelings but still set clear boundaries. 15 ways to use a cardboard box in your classroom.

如何既肯定孩子的感受，又設定明確的界限。在課堂上使用紙箱的 15 種方法。

And DIY Halloween costumes that are sure to win the school costume contest.

還有 DIY 萬聖節服裝，一定會在學校服裝比賽中獲勝。

And as I rattle those off, I could just imagine the rolling eyes from parents and teachers, and I share that frustration.

當我娓娓道來時，我可以想象家長和老師們翻白眼的樣子，我也有同感。

Because sometimes all the chatter only makes us feel more pressured to get it right.

因為有時候，所有的喋喋不休只會讓我們覺得壓力更大，必須把事情做好。

When it comes to our children's learning though, we don't have to be the perfect Etsy parent or the perfect Pinterest teacher.

不過，在孩子的學習方面，我們不必成為完美的 Etsy 家長，也不必成為完美的 Pinterest 老師。

We have to prioritize interactions and be okay with them being imperfect.

我們必須優先考慮互動，並接受它們的不完美。

Because it may seem silly to admit that we don't feel good at playing with our kids, but as adults, it's not always intuitive.

因為承認自己不擅長和孩子一起玩似乎很傻，但作為成年人，這並不總是直觀的感受。

Sure, most of us played a lot when we were little.

當然，我們大多數人小時候都玩過很多遊戲。

We'd tie the blankets around our neck and bound around the house like superheroes.

我們會把毯子系在脖子上，像超級英雄一樣在屋子裡轉來轉去。

But as we grew up, that type of play wasn't encouraged anymore.

但隨著我們長大，這種遊戲不再受到鼓勵。

And just as with any skill that we don't use, we risk losing it.

就像任何技能一樣，如果我們不用，就有可能失去它。

A couple of months ago, my colleague and I, we were leading a workshop for parents and teachers.

幾個月前，我和我的同事為家長和老師們主持了一個研討會。

And we brought materials like shaving cream and plastic straws and buttons and pipe cleaners and just asked the parents and teachers to play, to create.

我們帶來了剃鬚膏、塑膠吸管、鈕釦和吹風機等材料，請家長和老師們一起玩，一起創作。

Then slowly but surely, people started to create.

And by the end of the session, their faces were lighting up as they shared their creations with the rest of the group.

課程結束時，他們與小組其他成員分享自己的作品時，臉上都洋溢著笑容。

And it reminded me that as adults, we have to let go of our expectation that we get it right.

這也提醒我，作為成年人，我們必須放下對自己的期望。

Because if we opt out of play based on what we know about how important our interactions are to children's development, if we opt out of play, it has major implications for their brain development.

因為根據我們對互動對兒童成長的重要性的瞭解，如果我們選擇放棄遊戲，就會對他們的大腦發育產生重大影響。

Now I know that finding the energy to play with our kids and students can be hard.

現在我知道，找到精力與孩子們和學生們一起玩耍可能很難。

Even in small doses, it takes our undivided attention.

即使是小劑量，也需要我們全神貫注。

But it's so worth it because in all my experience and research, I haven't found any evidence that making the homemade cookies for the school bake sale matters for your child's brain development.

但這是值得的，因為在我所有的經驗和研究中，我沒有發現任何證據表明，為學校義賣自制餅乾對孩子的大腦發育有影響。

I haven't found any evidence that sewing that winning Halloween costume means they'll do well in school.

我還沒有找到任何證據表明，縫製萬聖節的獲獎服裝就意味著他們會在學校表現出色。

But what does matter is that the interactions leave space for your child to learn, to persist, to play, to experiment.

但重要的是，這些互動為孩子留下了學習、堅持、玩耍和嘗試的空間。

You have the power to have an enormous impact on their brain development.

您有能力對他們的大腦發育產生巨大的影響。

You are helping build the network of neural connections that lay the foundation for all of their future learning.

您正在幫助他們建立神經連接網絡，為他們今後的學習奠定基礎。

So this week at bath time, I hope that you'll put aside the top-rated toys, forget that mental to-do list for a moment, grab some measuring cups, some kitchen sponges, and give it a try.

是以，本週洗澡的時候，我希望你能放下那些頂級玩具，暫時忘掉腦子裡的待辦事項清單，拿起一些量杯和廚房海綿，試一試。